The Potential of Shinji Ikari
by kayarn
Summary: This is a crossover between Neon Genesis Evangelion and Dragonball Z. Shinji learns that a threat greater than the angels is approaching and is sent to train with the Z fighters to fight this new force.
1. Shinji's Power

The Potential Of Shinji Ikari. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Plus I make no money from this.

Note:  The story is set after episode 16 in Neon Genesis Evangelion and just after the Cell Saga in Dragonball Z.

Chapter 1: Shinji's Power.

The screams of Shinji Ikari were the only things heard as the giant purple robot began to sink into the black shadow that had suddenly appeared below it.

"Misato! What's going on? HELP ME!" Evangelion Unit 1 continued to sink into the circular shadow below it while the giant black and white sphere floated in the sky. Shinji's cries for help suddenly cut off as the Eva's head disappeared beneath the surface. Misato Katsuragi, the one responsible for Shinji was in a full panic. "Retract the cable, do it now!" The cable machinery came to life and began to reel in the Eva's umbilical cable. The end of the red cable finally emerged from the black shadow, however Unit 1 was not attached to it.

"SHINJI!"

X

"Where am I now?" Shinji Ikari finally began to stir from his slumber and looked around. He was surrounded by darkness. "Guess the angel must have swallowed me. Some top ranked pilot I turned out to be. Couldn't even defeat an angel without getting swallowed, bet Auska's real happy about now." As he looked around something began to dawn on Shinji.

"Where the hell is Unit 1? I was inside it when I was swallowed so where the hell is it?"

"Do you really want to know, Shinji Ikari?" A ghostly voice answered Shinji from the void.

"Great now I'm hearing things. First I'm swallowed then I lose my mind. Man Auska is going to have a field day with this." Suddenly a figure appeared in front on Shinji. "You are not hearing things Shinji. I merely asked if you would like to know?" Shinji was in shock. The man in front of him was about Shinji's height with short, white hair in a Mohawk style. He was wearing some strange sort of fighting gi but the weirdest thing about him was that he had purple skin.

"Who are you? Are you an angel?" The small man chuckled at this line of questioning. "No I am not an angel, but I can be considered as somewhat of a god. I am the Supreme Kai. The being that watches over this universe, and all others. I have come here because I need your help Shinji Ikari." Shinji was speechless. "Why do you need help from me? If you are a god then I'm pretty sure that there's not much I can do to help you." Once again the Supreme Kai chuckled to himself.

"Shinji, I do need you help but it's not just for my sake. If you don't help me then every single life form on this planet will be wiped out very soon." Shinji didn't look shocked. "Do you men the angels because it's a bit late to warn us about…" "No! It is not the angels. Compared to this new threat the angels are mere toys. Their power does not even begin to compare." That got Shinji's attention. "What could be more powerful than the angels?"

"These new entities are not of your world. They are creatures that wander the universe looking for planets that have a large potential. When they find such a planet they begin to strip it of everything that it has, energy, technology and raw materials. Once they are finished they destroy the planet leaving nothing but a debris field. With every planet they strip they become more powerful than before by absorbing the planets life energy. They have chosen the Earth as their next target and there is nobody on this planet capable of stopping them, except you."

This revelation definitely shocked Shinji. "What can I do against creatures that can do all that?" "You possess a power within you that could be enough to defeat these invaders. When that angel swallowed you, you merged with Unit 1. Its power is your power. With training I believe that you could become very strong indeed. I am going to take you to a place where you can get that training. I will take you to an earth in a different dimension. On this planet some of the greatest fighters in the universe live. They will teach you to use your power. Are you ready for this?"

Shinji looked ready to break down. 'How can I fight that kind of power? It's impossible! But if he's right and I don't try then everyone I care about will be annihilated. Misato, Auska, Ayanami, Toji, Kensuke. I can't let them down. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.' "I'll do it. Take me to where you want me to train." The Kai solemnly nodded. "This will be one of the hardest things that you will ever have to do Shinji. I hope you are ready for it," As he finished he extended his hand and Shinji took it, "Hold on this could be bumpy." With that Shinji fell into darkness once more.

X

The day was going as usual at the Son household. Baby Goten was making a racket and Chi-Chi was trying to calm him down. Gohan had skipped out again to train with Piccolo. "I swear that boy will be give me gray hairs. Its alright Goten, Mommy's here." Meanwhile a few miles from the house two people were engaged in a sparing match. One was a fourteen-year-old saiyan boy with black hair and the other was a tall man with green skin. Both were giving everything they had into the fight and their blows sounded like thunder. Suddenly the green man raised his hand, signaling an end to the fight. "Do you feel that Gohan? Two powers just appeared. A large one and a smaller one. They're not too far away." The black haired boy closed his eyes for a few seconds and concentrated. "I feel it Piccolo, think we should check it out?" His only reply was a nod and both took to the sky and headed towards these new powers. 

X

Once again Shinji awoke in unfamiliar surroundings. He found himself lying in the shade of a tree. "I see you are awake." Shinji looked up to see the Supreme Kai standing over him. "Where are we?" The Kai took a few steps away from Shinji. "All will be revealed in time my young friend. Look your new trainers are here." Shinji stared in the direction the Supreme Kai pointed but he couldn't make out a thing. Suddenly a pair of black dots appeared in the sky. As Shinji squinted to get a better look he realized that they were not planes, but something else. This realization did not help him hide his shock when those two dots turned out to be people. As Gohan and Piccolo landed it was all Shinji could do to keep standing up. "Who are you and what do you want?" The Supreme Kai was not surprised at Piccolo's rudeness at all. "Ah Piccolo you are just as blunt as I had heard, and Gohan you are just as I imagined you to be also." Piccolo still looked pretty ticked off. "I don't know who you are but you better give me some answers soon." A smile crept onto the Supreme Kai's face.

"Come now Piccolo. I know that you have Kami's memories. Surely you can make a guess at who I am?" Piccolo took a second look at the short man in front of him and jumped. "You're the Supreme Kai!" The Kai had another chuckle to himself. "Correct, and I have a favor to ask you and Gohan. I want you to train this boy." The Kai gestured to Shinji who during the conversation had cowered behind the Supreme Kai. "You want us to train this pathetic human? Why?" Piccolo listened intently as he described the danger that Shinji's home was in. When he was finished Piccolo looked to Shinji, "Do you want to be trained?" Shinji nodded. "This will be very hard on you boy. I will not go easy on you. Do you still wish to fight?" Shinji nodded again. "Very well Supreme Kai, we will train the boy." The Supreme Kai nodded. "Thank you Piccolo." He turned to Shinji. "Shinji, I will return for you in four years. Train hard Shinji. If you don't your world is doomed." With that he vanished leaving Shinji alone with Piccolo and Gohan.

"So kid what's you name." Shinji nervously cleared his throat. "Shinji Ikari." Piccolo snorted. "Well, Shinji Ikari, if you are going to learn to fight then you need to have some fighting clothed." Shinji looked down and realized that he was still wearing his plug suit. "I…I didn't have time to change before I came here so…" Piccolo pointed his palm at Shinji and suddenly Shinji was wearing a gi similar to Gohan's. "Now you look like a fighter."

"We better go back to my place. He can stay there while we train." Gohan spoke up from behind Piccolo. "Good idea Gohan. Lets go." As both the Z fighters rose into the air Shinji watched them dumbstruck. Piccolo finally noticed that Shinji wasn't following them. "Don't tell me that you can't fly either?" Shinji shook his head. Piccolo growled and grabbed Shinji by the back of his gi and took off into the air muttering all the while. "What have we been stuck with this time?"

X

Shinji slowly settled into his new routine in the Son household. Chi-Chi thought that he was adorable when he offered to do some of the cooking and was shocked when he actually began to clean. His training with Gohan and Piccolo was another matter entirely. While Gohan worked with him on manipulating his ki, Piccolo worked on his technique. Piccolo had a simple teaching style. He pounded on Shinji until Shinji was good enough to pound back. What surprised the Z fighter was how fast Shinji absorbed what they had to teach him. At first he was hesitant about fighting but after a few weeks he became more enthusiastic. This didn't mean that Piccolo was any less demanding than before. In fact he became more so and Shinji was battered and bruised every night when his training finished.

Shinji was also learning all about the history of this planet too. He learned about the titanic battle's that had been fought on this planet and marveled at the fact that Gohan was the strongest fighter in the universe. The two boys became fast friends and Gohan even helped Shinji to improve his academic skills in the process. The months passed and Shinji became stronger. Until eventually he became just as strong as Piccolo. Shinji then moved to sparring with Gohan instead. After a year and a half both teens were equally matched when Gohan was in his normal state, but Shinji was no match for Gohan when he transformed into a super saiyan.

After training one night both boys were sitting on the roof of the Son house talking. Conversation drifted to Shinji's home and Shinji told Gohan all that happened to him. He told him all about Eva and the fights he had been in through the years, all the pain his father had caused him and the love he had for his friends. Both of them understood each other's pain at losing people that they cared about.

X

As the second year started Shinji had hit a brick wall where his training was concerned. No matter how hard he trained he couldn't increase his power any more. While taking a break from a sparring session he asked Gohan about it. "Gohan how can I get stronger? No matter how hard I train I can't get any stronger than I am right now. The Supreme Kai wouldn't have sent me here if this is all that I'm capable of." Gohan seemed to think for a minute. "Maybe if I taught you the Kaioken technique it would help you improve your strength." Shinji looked puzzled. He thought he knew all of Gohan's techniques. "Uh…Gohan. What's the Kaioken?"

"It was one of my Dad's techniques. It can boost your power a lot but it comes at a price, any pain or exhaustion you feel while using it is also increased. I guess you could call it a double-edged sword. My dad used it in his fight against Vegeta." 

"Gohan, Please teach it to me." Gohan leapt into the air. "You got it, lets go get some work done."

X

Once again Shinji threw himself into his training. With a new goal in sight he trained harder then ever. Even Piccolo was impressed. "If anyone ever told me two years ago that the brat would be that powerful I would have laughed in their faces. He could surpass Gohan one day." Piccolo was resting under a tree watching Gohan and Shinji spar. They were so alike it was almost frightening. He watched as the pair exchanged blows and ki blasts. "Shinji is going to be very strong one day."

Shinji and Gohan glared at each other in their fighting stances as they sized each other up. Suddenly both fighters moved and the fight had begun. Shinji received a punch to the face while his knee slammed into Gohan's gut. The fighters staggered back a few feet before launching another assault. The fight began to get more intense as both began to use more energy attacks in their opponents. Suddenly Shinji stopped his assault. "Stop going easy on me Gohan or I'll never get stronger! If I don't get stronger my world is doomed! GIVE ME ALL YOU GOT!" Shinji screamed at Gohan.

Gohan merely nodded and transformed into a super saiyan. He began to charge his most powerful attack. "KA…ME…HA…ME…HA!" The giant blue blast flew at Shinji. He couldn't dodge it so he raised his arms in an X in front of him to attempt to ward off the blast. As the blast hit Shinji barely managed to hold off the blast. Steadily he was losing ground, being pushed back by the blast.

'Maybe I shouldn't have taunted him like that? If I can't stop this blast then I'm not going to be able to protect my home.' The intense energy from the blast began to overpower Shinji. 'Guess I won't be able to see them again.' Pictures of his friends flashed before his eyes as he lost more ground to the blast. 'NO! I won't let them down!  I mustn't run away!  I mustn't run away!  I mustn't run away!' Shinji began to gather his power. "I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY! KAI-O-KEN!!" 

A massive red aura engulfed Shinji as he felt his ki skyrocket. Inside this aura Shinji began to change. His hair began to stick straight up and it began to change color. The brown was being replaced by bright red. Shinji's eyes also began to change. The regular blue color was replaced with red. Suddenly Shinji knocked away the deadly beam and stood face to face with Gohan once again. The two fighters sized each other up. On one side stood Gohan, his golden super saiyan aura blazing around him. On the other side was Shinji, his hair and eyes were now bright crimson and his red aura blazed just as bright as Gohan's. Without a second thought both fighters plunged into the battle once again. Both were evenly matched, blow for blow. Suddenly both fighters dropped back and began to charge up energy attacks. "KA…ME…HA…ME…HA!"

Both fighters released massive beams of energy at each other. As the beams met a power struggle ensued between the two. The seemed to be at a stalemate until Gohan poured some more power into the blast. A massive explosion engulfed the two combatants and when it cleared Gohan was the only fighter left standing. Shinji was left sprawled on the ground. His aura disappeared and his hair returned to its natural brown color. He shook his head as he sat up and grinned at Gohan. "Nice match!"

X

The three fighters were seated under the tree where Piccolo had watched the match between the sixteen year olds. "Shinji how did you do that?" The question came from Gohan who was still amazed that his friend had transformed. "I don't know. I just thought of everyone that I had to protect back home and it just sort of happened." Shinji shrugged. "Perhaps I can explain it better Shinji." All three fighters jumped at the sound of a voice behind them. Almost immediately Piccolo was up and facing this new threat. "Who's there?" A figure stepped from the shadows behind the tree. "How soon you forget your friends Piccolo." The Supreme Kai frowned at Piccolo and the Namek warrior took a step back. "Please forgive me Supreme Kai. I did not sense your approach." 

"I just arrived piccolo to check up on Shinji but I find he has exceeded all my expectations for him." Gohan looked eager to ask something. "Uh…Supreme Kai. Can you tell us what Shinji just did? I mean it looked like a Super Saiyan transformation, but different." The Supreme Kai took a seat next to Shinji. "That was the true form of the Kaioken, Gohan. The technique that your father learned was an incomplete version of what you just saw. Millennia ago great battles ensued between the users of the Kaioken and the super saiyans. The Kaioken could only be used by extremely exceptional people. Eventually the numbers of people who used the Kaioken dwindled. With no opponents the super saiyans also began to go into decline."

The Supreme Kai took a deep breath and continued. "As the years passed the true form of the Kaioken and the super saiyan transformations passed into legend. The only people who knew the exact specifics of these techniques were the Kai's themselves." Gohan looked puzzled at this statement. "So if King Kai knew that the Kaioken was a special transformation why didn't he teach its true form to my dad?" 

"The simple fact Gohan is that King Kai didn't have enough time to teach it to your father. Also the true power of the Kaioken cannot be harnessed by a saiyan. A saiyan can used the power boost ability of the technique but this is offset by the energy drain it puts the user under." A wry smile crossed the Kai's face. "And a saiyan doesn't need a further power boost does he Gohan?" Gohan looked at his feet. "Guess he doesn't."

The Supreme Kai looked back at Shinji. "The transformation you went through was the first stage of the kaioken. Like the super saiyan transformation, the kaioken has a number of levels. You will have to train hard in order to access these Shinji." Shinji nodded at the Supreme Kai. "I wont let you down sir."

The short Kai nodded. "Good Shinji. In light of this advancement I'm going to cut your training down to three years. In one year you will go back to your world to defend it." Once again he looked at Gohan. "Gohan Shinji, despite his new power may not be enough to defend his world. Will you aid him?" Gohan looked at his best friend of the past two years. He knew Shinji would help him if the situation were reversed. "He is my friend and I always help my friends." Piccolo perked up at this. "If Gohan is going then I'm going too. Someone has to look after these brats." Shinji and Gohan looked outraged at this statement as the Supreme Kai laughed. "With the three of you on the job I almost pity the people threatening the Earth. I must go now but I will return in one year. Be ready Shinji, your world depends on it."

X

With his new transformation at his disposal Shinji trained even harder. In a very short time he was able to match Gohan perfectly while he was super saiyan. Both the teens complemented each other perfectly. The last few month of his training passed quickly for Shinji. The sparring matches with Gohan became more intense as both young fighters pulled out all the stops in order to increase their strength. As the last week of his training approached, Shinji decided that it was time to explain the specifics of his world to Gohan and Piccolo.

"Just remember that in my world people cant do what we do. They can't fly or fire ki blasts from their hands. We are fighting a war against strange creatures called angels. These things appear in many forms and before I came here they could only be defeated by deploying huge robots called Evagelion. These things are incredibly weak though so we shouldn't have to worry about them." Shinji glanced at Piccolo. "We don't have aliens on my world piccolo so people might be scared of you for a while but just let me do the talking and I'll tale care of everything."

"I can't wait to introduce you guys to my friends. They'll be so surprised at you guys and me too I guess." Shinji frowned at himself. 'I just hope my father doesn't try to take advantage of this situation.'

X

The day of Shinji's return had finally arrived. All three fighters stood outside the Son household as they said goodbye to Chi-Chi and young Goten. "Don't worry mom, I'll be back before you know it." Chi-Chi looked close to tears. "Just be careful Gohan. Don't get hurt." Gohan smiled at her. "With the three of us I don't think that there is going to be any problem." Gohan bent down to his brother. "You be good for mom okay squirt." Goten looked excited. "Just make sure you bring me something back, okay Gohan." Gohan ruffled his little brother's hair. "You got it squirt."

There was the sound of moving air and the Supreme Kai appeared behind the fighters. "Are you ready to go?" Shinji glanced up and nodded. "Lets go Supreme Kai, I'm anxious to see what's changed at home while I have been gone." The Supreme Kai looked grim. "Shinji you will find that you have been gone less than a day. When you reappear you will still be in the angel so your first task will be to break out. With the three of you I don't believe that it will be a problem. When you emerge from the angel you will find that less than twenty four hours have passed in your world."

Shinji looked confused. "How can that be?" The Supreme Kai gave Shinji an enigmatic half smile. "You forget that I am the being that oversees all Shinji. It was a simple matter for me." Shinji blushed with embarrassment. "Time to go Shinji. All three of you hold on to me and we will leave." Piccolo, Gohan and Shinji took hold of the Supreme Kai. "Good, now hold on tight." The next second all four had disappeared, leaving Goten and Chi-Chi standing alone outside the house. "Please be safe Gohan."

X

"What do you mean you're going to blow it up? What about Shinji?" Misato Katsuragi was extremely pissed. "He is an acceptable risk. Don't forget the objective of NERV is to destroy angels. It is his fault this happ…" Dr. Ritsuko Akagi was interrupted by Misato's hand hitting her face. Both women glared at each other until a loud crash startled them. They looked to their right to see the angel changing. The sphere changed to pure black and seemed to expand. "What the hell is happening?" This came from Ritsuko who stared at the sphere in shock. The black shadow beneath the sphere began to split and dissipate. Long jagged cracks appeared on the sphere and golden light began to shine through. "Is it Shinji?" Misato's voice was full of hope as she stared at the miracle that was happening in front of her. "Can't be. Unit 1 shouldn't have enough power to do something like this. I don't know what the hell is happening."

The cracks on the sphere continued to lengthen until the sphere itself cracked apart under the strain of what was happening. With a huge explosion the sphere was gone. Not a trace remained of it, Unit 1 or the shadow. The women squinted at where the sphere used to be. They could barely make out three specks floating where the giant sphere used to be. The dots seemed to be glowing and Misato didn't like the look of them. Misato pulled out her cell phone and hit a speed dial. "Hyuga, get unit's 0 and 2 active and get me a scan of the angel's last known position. I want to know what's out there." Hyuga's voice came back over the phone. "Major the angels pattern has completely vanished but we are reading three other large power signatures heading directly for your position Major." Misato looked up and saw the three specks approaching. "Get the Eva's operational now!" She jammed the disconnect button and pulled out her gun. 'Those things destroyed the angel like it was nothing. How can we beat them without Shinji? Where the hell is Shinji anyway? The angel is gone so he should be back.'

While Misato was watching the three specks resolved themselves into people. She stared in shock as the three reduced their speed and landed in front of her. She raised her gun. "Who and what are you? Answer me!" One of the people stepped forward. He was about Kaji's height with brown hair. He was wearing a martial arts gi that had seen better days.

"Answer me now!" She raised her gun higher and pointed it at his head. The figure just looked at her and made no threatening moves, in fact he looked sad. "Have you forgotten me already Misato?"

Misato did a double take and looked over him again. There was something familiar about him. She still looked confused until something clicked in her mind. The hair, the eyes, it was Shinji. "Shinji? Is that you?" A wide smile appeared on the man's face. "Guess you do remember me after all, Misato." She ran forward and engulfed Shinji in a hug. She held him for a few seconds then stepped back and slapped him across the face. "Don't ever do that again!" Shinji rubbed the red mark on his face and grinned. "Its good to be back."

X

A half an hour later a meeting was called in the temporary command post that NERV had set up. In the MCP already were Shinji, Gohan, Piccolo, Misato, Ritsuko and the bridge crew. So far there was no conversation in the vehicle. The NERV personnel were distrustful of the newcomers despite Shinji's assurances. The silence continued until the Eva pilots arrived. The first indication that they had arrived was the loud voice of Auska. "Guess 'Invincible' Shinji wont be coming back from this one. After al it was just a matter of time until he screwed up and got himself killed. Right wonder girl." Auska opened the door and walked into Shinji's back. "Watch where you're going idiot!" Auska was extremely pissed. Not only was the angel destroyed before she could have a crack at it but now some idiot was standing in her way. The guy turned around and looked at her. 'There is something very familiar about that guy. Where have I seen him before.'

The man smiled down at her. "Long time no see Auska." Auska was surprised. 'How does this guy know my name. I know he looks familiar. Brown hair, blue eyes. He looks so familiar.' "Who are you?" The tall stranger merely laughed at her. "Stop laughing at me!" Misato just smiled at the pair. "Put her out of her misery, Shinji." For the second time since walking in Auska was speechless. "Shinji? Is it really you?"

Shinji nodded and received a slap for his trouble. "That's for acting like an idiot!" Shinji rubbed his face again. "What's everyone got against me today?" Everyone laughed at him. Even Piccolo managed a chuckle. Ritsuko was the first to recover. "You've kept us waiting long enough Shinji. What happened to you?" Shinji went on to explain what happened after he was swallowed. There was some parts hat Shinji knew that they didn't believe. When he was finished the NERV personnel were shocked. Ritsuko was the first to voice her skepticism. "So you mean to tell us that you have been in some alternate dimension for three years training to defeat some threat that is supposedly more powerful than the angels?"

Shinji nodded. "And you mean to tell us that man over there is from another planet?" She gestured at Piccolo. Shinji nodded again. "Impossible! Do you expect us to believe any of this?" Shinji was angry now. 

"What I expect, Dr. Akagi, is that you at least consider the validity of what I have been saying. I did not spend the last three years of my life training to defend this planet just to have it thrown I my face by the likes of you. Do I make myself clear?" Ritsuko was shocked. Never had she dreamed that Shinji would act like that. "Alright Shinji relax. Its just hard to believe." Misato tried to calm Shinji down. "Okay Misato. I'll relax. Its just that…" Shinji suddenly looked to his right. "Gohan do you feel that?" Gohan closed his eyes and concentrated. "Yeah. A big power heading this way fast. Should we check it out?" Shinji thought for a minute. "Alright we'll check it out." He turned to Piccolo. "Piccolo, I need a favor."

"Shoot kid." "Look after everyone here while Gohan and I check this out." Piccolo nodded. "You got it kid. Be careful, both of you." Gohan and Shinji nodded and headed for the door. "What the hell is going on?" Misato decided to make her presence felt. Shinji looked at her gravely. "Something powerful is coming Misato and I have to find out what it is. Don't worry Piccolo will look after you." With that Shinji and Gohan were gone. Everyone else quickly followed. 

Once they were outside they saw something that astounded them. Shinji and Gohan were floating in mid air facing off against a tall, blue skinned, bald man. "So the power I sensed was from you boy? How could a normal human have that kind of power?" Shinji smiled at his opponent. "There's a lot you don't know about me. What is your name?" The man glared at Shinji for a moment. "My name is Kole. Are you my opponent little boy?" Shinji didn't take his eyes off Kole for a second. "Gohan this guy's mine." Gohan floated back to the ground. "You got it Shinji. He's all yours." Shinji dropped into his fighting stance and began to power up. "Bring it on!"  

X

Note: That was the first chapter of my Evangelion/Dragonball Z crossover. Please R and R and tell me what you think.           


	2. The First Battle

**The Potential of Shinji Ikari**

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or Neon Genesis Evangelion and I make no money from this.

Chapter 2: The first battle.

Kole and Shinji continued to size each other up while everyone else waited for the fight to start. While Piccolo and Gohan were relatively relaxed, Misato was in a full panic. "Shouldn't you two help him fight this guy?" Misato looked at Gohan with pleading eyes while Gohan merely smiled at the situation. "Trust me Misato, Shinji does not need our help to beat this guy. This guy's power level is nothing compared to Shinji. I give this guy five minutes." Piccolo spoke up from the other side of the group. "Three minutes, max." Ritsuko was staring dumbstruck at what the fighters were doing. "How can they be flying? Its not possible."

Suddenly the fight started. Kole seemed to take control almost immediately. Shinji was subjected to a brutal assault of punches to his stomach followed by a hammerfist that sent him to the ground. Shinji staggered back to his feet and glared at Kole defiantly. Kole decided to gloat a little. "Is that all you have little boy? After all your tough talk before, this all you can muster? What a joke." Shinji began to laugh at his opponent. "What's so funny worm?" Shinji stopped. "This is!"

Shinji disappeared and when he reappeared his fist was buried in Koles stomach. Kole retched and some green blood flew from his open mouth. "How…how…how?" Shinji smirked at his opponent. "Only a fool uses his true power at the start of a fight. I let you get the first attack so I would know how much power to use against you." Shinji finished with a kick that sent Kole into the mountainside. As Kole staggered back to his feet he was trying to figure out what the hell just happened to him. 'He's just an earthling. How the hell can he have so much power?' A smile crossed the aliens face. "Lets see you stop this attack boy." Kole pointed his palms at Shinji and released a massive ball of blue energy. Shinji just floated there and let the blast hit him. The energy engulfed Shinji and exploded blanketing the area with black smoke. "That'll teach the runt to mock my power."

"Shinji!" Misato stared at the spot of the explosion with a look of disbelief on her face. 'How could Shinji have lost? Didn't Gohan say he would win?' Just before she burst into tears a glow began to light up the smoke. As it cleared Shinji was floating there with the same smirk on his face. "Don't you ever learn? You are no match for me. Just watch." Shinji raised both of his hands above his head. "MA-SEN-KO-HA!" A giant blast of golden energy headed straight for Kole. Kole tried to deflect it with another energy ball but failed. The deadly blast headed for Kole as he raised his arms in an attempt to shield himself from the full effects of Shinji's blast. When the dust settled Kole was barely standing. A huge chunk of the mountain was gouged away and the alien's armor was virtually destroyed.

Shinji smirked down at his handiwork while everyone except Piccolo and Gohan gaped at the destruction. Kole was struggling to stay standing as Shinji descended towards him. "Where are your insults now, huh? I thought you had more power than that." Koles's fear was self evident on his face. "Since I'm feeling generous I'm going to let you go this time. If you don't leave I show you what it's like to feel more than a tenth of my power. Tell whoever you're working for that this planet is off limits for them, understand?"

Kole managed to nod. "Good now leave, immediately!" Kole vanished as soon as the words left Shinji's mouth. He floated back to where the NERV personnel were gathered. They stared at Shinji like he had grown a second head. Shinji looked confused. "What? Is there something on my gi?"

X

A few hours after the battle with Kole, Ritsuko was reporting to Gendo Ikari. "Doctor, what is the situation with the Third Child and his…friends." Ritsuko seemed nervous under the commander's gaze but tried not to show it. "Well the tests on Shinji proved quite interesting. We took blood and tissue samples and ran DNA tests on both. It seems certain strands of Shinji's DNA have been replaced by Eva DNA." The commander looked disturbed at this announcement.

"How can this be possible doctor?"

"A similar incident has occurred before…"

"Do you mean Yui, doctor?"

"Precisely, the process has happened in reverse before so it could theoretically happen just as Shinji described."

Gendo seemed to think for a moment. "And his friends?"

Ritsuko cracked a smile. "When we tried to get samples from the other boy, Son Gohan, he freaked out. Apparently he has a large phobia when it comes to needles. We gave up after he caused significant damage to the lab he was in."

"What of the other one?"

"According to Shinji he is a Namek, a race that exists in the dimension where he trained. None of my staff were permitted to approach him. When they tried some invisible force pushed them back. We could not obtain any samples from him either."

"Very well doctor, that is all."

"Should we let them go?"

"Could we hold them against their will even if we wanted to? From what I saw they are incredibly strong and can produce energy from their hands. Somehow I doubt that even the Eva's could stop them."

X

The three in question were in the cafeteria waiting for Ritsuko to give them the all clear. Piccolo stood in a corner watching everything like a hawk. All of his senses were sharp expecting an attack from any direction. Shinji had told him about his father and Piccolo did not trust the man.

Everyone else was sitting at a table talking. Misato and Asuka were grilling Shinji for more information while Gohan offered the odd comment. Now they were on the subject of how Shinji got so strong.

"Well I just trained with Gohan and Piccolo. The more I trained the stronger I got."

Suddenly a loud rumbling echoed throughout and the two women stared at Gohan with a shocked expression on their faces. Gohan scratched the back of his hand and gave a small laugh. "Guess I'm kind of hungry." Shinji seemed to find this funny and couldn't stop laughing, even Piccolo managed a small smile. Misato shook off her shock and went to get Gohan some food. When she returned Gohan fell on the food like he hadn't eaten in years.

Asuka was horrified. "Does he always eat like this?"

"Actually for Gohan, this is pretty slow. What's up buddy?"

Gohan glanced up from his food. "Just trying to be polite."

Shinji was saved from answering by Ritsuko who arrived in the cafeteria. All conversation and eating stopped as the doctor moved to where the others were sitting. "The tests are finished and all of you are free to go."

Misato stood up. "That's good to hear Ritsu." She turned to look at Gohan. "Do you and Piccolo have a place to stay?"

Gohan stopped his eating again but Ritsuko was the first to speak. "It's already been arranged. We have secured an apartment in your building. We believed that it would be convenient to keep the three of you close together."

Gohan spoke up. "Thank you doctor Akagi. But you didn't have to go to so much trouble for us."

Ritsuko dismissed the remark. "It was no trouble at all. After all NERV practically runs the city."

Shinji was slightly skeptical at the ease of the arrangements. "How much did my father have to do with this Ritsuko?"

The doctor noticed the venom that crept into Shinji's voice when he mentioned his father. 'Seems his time away did nothing to ease the hatred he has for his father. I hope Gendo doesn't do anything to upset him. We might not be able to stop him if he loses control.' "I was the one who arranged it Shinji. Your father had nothing to do with it."

Ritsuko's assurances did nothing to appease Shinji however. "He better not try anything because I'm not in the mood to play his games anymore. Pass on that message for me Ritsuko."

X

In his office Gendo watched the security camera footage from the cafeteria and smirked at that last comment. "Just because you may be stronger now my son does not mean that you are above my power." He pushed his glasses further up his nose. "The 'games' are far from over Shinji."

X

The long night finally ended with Gohan and Piccolo settling into their temporary home. They had been invited for dinners at Misato's place and Gohan gratefully accepted. Piccolo, on the other hand declined and decided to explore the city. At Misatos Shinji had prepared a huge meal for his roommates and his guest. After Gohan's initial embarrassment at seeing Misato in her 'off duty' clothes the meal went as smoothly as it could with a demi saiyan present. The sheer amount of food that Gohan ate was astounding. At first Auska and Misato laughed at Shinji for the amount of food that he prepared. Once they saw how Gohan ate they were very glad. If Shinji had made any less there would be none for them to eat. Once the food was finished, in record time, conversation started up again.

"I'm glad I'm still able to cook after all this time. I haven't cooked a decent meal in years." Shinji looked relieved at this.

Asuka glanced up from what was left on her plate. "You mean you haven't cooked since you left? How come?"

"The simple answer would be that I didn't have time. Gohan and Piccolo pushed me really hard in order to increase my strength. The few nights that I had time to cook Gohan's mother wouldn't let me. She has a thing about cooking. Right Gohan?"

Gohan stopped rubbing his full stomach long enough to answer. "Yeah. Since she has to cook for two half saiyans she spends a lot of time in the kitchen. You could say it's the only thing that kept her sane all these years."

"What do you mean?" Misato joined the conversation.

"A few years ago my dad and his friends always had to fight any evil that threatened my world. Since the age of five I've trained to defend the world. My dad actually died twice during this time and I had to go to another planet once as well as being kidnapped by Piccolo for ones year's training in the wilderness. If she didn't have cooking during this time I think that she would have gone insane."

Misato, her question answered, returned to her beer.

"Shouldn't you be getting home Gohan? It's been a long day after all."

Gohan slowly rose from his chair. "Guess you're right Shinji. I'll see you tomorrow at five AM."

Misato spat the mouthful of beer she had all over the table. "What do you mean five AM? What's going on?"

Shinji looked puzzled for a moment. "It's just our morning workout Misato. Something wrong?"

"A workout? At five AM?"

"Yeah."

"Fine just don't wake me."

X

The next morning came swiftly and Shinji, true to his word, did not wake Misato when he left. He and Gohan flew to an isolated mountain region for their daily spar. Once the fight was over Shinji had a favor to ask Gohan.

"Gohan I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"I need you to look after Misato for me."

"Why?"

"Kole saw everyone we were with last night. If he, or any of his friends, comes back they might go after Misato and the others to get at me. If you go with Misato you can look after everyone else at NERV too. If you're doing that I can look after Asuka and Rei at their school. That way everyone will be covered."

"What about Piccolo?"

"He could just be on alert. That way he could help either of us if we get into something that we can't handle without leaving anyone without some kind of protection."

"Good plan but how do I convince Misato to let me tag along with her."

Shinji thought for a moment. "Just ask her for a tour of NERV. Say that you're interested in all that high-tech stuff. That way she'll get Ritsuko involved too."

Gohan seemed satisfied. "You know Shinji, you're smarter than you look."

Shinji smiled for a few seconds until the comment sunk in. "Hey." Shinji retaliated by blasting Gohan into the cliff.

X

So far Shinji's plan was going without a hitch. Misato was delighted to take Gohan on a tour of NERV and Shinji was currently watching over Asuka and Rei from the school roof. To the casual observer Shinji looked like he was oblivious to all that was going on around him. In fact he knew everything that was going on in the school and the nearby surrounding buildings.

When lunch finally arrived Shinji decided to personally check up on Asuka. He finally left the spot that he had occupied for the last few hours and gently floated down to the schoolyard below. Shinji picked a spot under a large tree and waited for Asuka to emerge from the school. He didn't have to wait long. Almost as soon as she left the school building she spotted Shinji leaning against the tree.

She changed course to intercept him and quickened her pace. "What are you doing here third?" was the first thing that came out of her mouth and Shinji smiled. Same old Asuka, blunt and direct.

"Can't I sit here? Or is this the personal domain of the great second child?" Asuka was shocked. Shinji never used to talk back like this. Maybe he had changed after all. Maybe he wasn't the same Shinji she had teased only two days ago. She reacted to this information the only way Asuka knew how, with a threat. "Quiet third child or I'll do something that you will regret."

Shinji actually laughed out loud at this. "Asuka I don't think that you could even touch me, let alone hurt me. It's been a long time since I was cowardly Shinji Ikari. Three years with Gohan and Piccolo changed me. Your petty threats don't scare me any more." This scared Asuka. Shinji had become the person she wanted him to be. He had finally grown a backbone and she didn't have a retort to throw back in his face for that remark. She was saved from having to answer by the arrival of the class rep.

"Asuka, who is this?" Asuka was still too shocked to respond to Hikari. She was still pondering the new Shinji in her mind so he answered for her. "I guess I look a bit different from two days ago, eh Hikari? After all its not often that people age three years in a day." Hikari was surprised and she examined the man again. The hair and eyes looked familiar to her. "Shinji is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Hikari was just as shocked as Asuka. 'How could this be Shinji? Three days ago he was a shy, quiet boy. How could he become this man in three days.' Hikari's brain was in overdrive trying to process this new information.

Two new additions to the conversation made their entrance while the girls were silent. "Hey class rep, what's up?" The loud voice of Toji Suzahara called out as he approached with Kensuke Aida in tow, along with his ever-present video camera. "Who's this guy?" Toji eyed this stranger carefully. After all it wasn't every day that the class rep was hanging out with a guy.

"Long time no see Toji, Kensuke. How've you been?" This confused the two boys even more. After all, this guy looked at least two years older than them and they didn't have any friends in the older classes. Kensuke's camera was analyzing the stranger from every angle possible while his brain was trying to put a name to the face. Luckily for them the stranger clued them in to his identity.

"You'd think that my two best friends would be able to recognize me no matter what my age. How could you forget me, Shinji Ikari?"

Toji and Kensukes eyes bugged out and they collapsed into a heap at Shinji's feet. "What? How?" was all that came from Kensuke while Toji merely gurgled.

Shinji laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Guess this is going to be a long story."

X

A long explanation later and the friends weren't as shocked as before but they were still surprised. Shinji could fly? He could destroy planets with his life energy? It was a lot to get used to and they pelted him with questions. Shinji answered as best he could. Suddenly he held up a hand and the questions stopped instantly.

"Come out Piccolo, I know you're there." Everyone else looked at him like he had grown another head. As they looked at each other trying to decide who would call the mental hospital they received another shock. A tall green man actually floated down from the branches of the tree.

"Still sharp kid. I didn't think that you could sense me with my ki suppressed that low."

Shinji grinned at his teacher. I almost didn't but you're ki spiked slightly when you moved, just enough for me to detect it. After all the ki of a tree doesn't spike."

"Not bad. Your control is pretty good for just three years training."

"Well I did learn from the best."

Now it was Piccolo's turn to smirk. "Flattery won't get you out of a sparing match."

While this was going on Shinji's friends stared open mouthed at Piccolo. After all its not every day that you meet a seven foot tall guy, who's green, can fly and is apparently good friends with Shinji.

Asuka finally noticed their discomfort. "Relax, its just Piccolo. He's one of Shinji's teachers."

Shinji decided to give his friends a real show. "Piccolo, how about that sparing match?"

"Where?"

"How about the baseball field?"

"Lets do it."

Shinji turned to his friends. "Piccolo and I are going to have a spar on the baseball field. You guys are welcome to watch but don't walk onto the field while the match is on. You could get hurt."

Shinji and Piccolo rose into the air and headed for the field. Asuka stood and prepared to follow. "Come on. I don't want to miss this. Shinji's last fight didn't last that long and I want to see a good one."

The four teens headed for the field and when they arrived Piccolo and Shinji were preparing to start.

X

Shinji glanced around the field to make sure that no innocent bystanders were in the way. Finally he turned back to Piccolo. "Lets make this a good one Piccolo."

Piccolo nodded and reached for his turban. After removing it he tossed it toward the edge of the field. His cape soon followed. Both fighters assumed their stances and prepared to fight.

The stood still for about a minute with Asuka growing more impatient with every second. "When are they going to start?"

As if to answer her question both fighters phased out and reappeared locked together in the center of the field, neither willing to give an inch. Suddenly Piccolo lashed out with his left foot and knocked Shinji onto his back. He attempted to hollow up with a punch to his downed opponent but Shinji was too fast. He caught the descending fist with his left hand and retaliated with one of his own. The punch caught Piccolo in the gut and knocked him back a few feet. Shinji returned to his feet with a handspring and assumed his stance again.

"Nice warm-up Piccolo. How about we kick it up another notch?" Without waiting for Piccolo's answer he powered up. A white aura flickered around him as his ki began to rise. Piccolo responded in kind. His own aura forming around him as his ki rose to equal Shinji.

X

Suddenly the fight almost became too fast for the spectators to follow. The skill that was displayed by both fighters was astounding. The fighters drew gasps from their onlookers as they took to the air, still exchanging blows. While the fight seemed to be in Shinji's favor, Piccolo was an experienced fighter with decades more experience than Shinji. During a lull in the fight he decided to step it up again.

"SPLIT FORM." Suddenly Shinji was facing two Piccolo's and things weren't looking so good any more. Two Piccolo's meant twice as many attacks to defend against and Shinji couldn't stop them all. A pair of kicks caught Shinji off guard and doubled him over. A pair of elbows then hammered down on Shinji's back and drove him into the ground. As he stumbled back to his feet Piccolo merged back into one body and decided to end the fight.

As he drew his right hand back ki began to crackle around it. Suddenly he thrust the hand forward and shouted, "DESTRUCTIVE WAVE!" A large golden ball of ki sped toward Shinji. He raised both his arms and caught the ball. Shinji began to slide back as the ball continued to push. After sliding back a dozen feet Shinji dug his heels in and with a burst of power he tossed the ball into the sky where it exploded harmlessly. Shinji smirked up at the floating form of Piccolo.

"Not bad. Now its my turn." Shinji floated up until he was level with Piccolo. He extended his right arm until his right palm was pointed at Piccolo. His left hand then grasped his right wrist and he began to concentrate. A swirling ball of purple ki began to grow in front of his palm. After the ball was the size of a basketball he launched it at Piccolo. The ball was relatively slow moving and Piccolo dodged it easily.

"Do better kid. It's not fast enough to hit anything."

Shinji was still smiling. "It wasn't meant to hit you."

A small explosion was heard behind Piccolo and he turned to see what it was. The ball had split into hundreds of thin ki beams that curved around and headed toward Piccolo. The speed of the beams had been upped considerably and Piccolo was hard pressed to dodge them. After dodging a few he was hit in the back by a beam and this slowed him down just enough for the rest to hit. Piccolo was engulfed in a large purple explosion. As the smoke began to clear, Piccolo fell from the air and he landed on his back.

He raised his head just enough to see Shinji. "Not bad kid, you win."

X

"How long have you been working on that?" After a quick senzu bean Piccolo was back on his feet and he and Shinji's friends were seated in the shade of a tree.

"About six months. I got the idea from your scattershot technique. I call it my positron burst technique." Shinji responded from his position opposite Piccolo.

"It certainly works well enough. I'm surprised we didn't see you practicing it."

Shinji smiled at his mentor. "I made sure that you and Gohan were somewhere else when I did. I wanted it to be a surprise. Just do me one favor and don't tell Gohan about it. I want to test it on him in our next spar too."

"It should be interesting to see what Gohan can do to counter it. Don't worry, I won't tell him. It should be a good show."

"Thanks Piccolo."

On Shinji's left side Kensuke was going over his footage of the spar, slowing it down in places so he could fully appreciate the fight. After watching it for a third time he looked at Shinji with awe. "Shinji could you teach us to fly and fight like that." The hopeful tome in his voice was unmistakable. At the mention of learning to fight like Shinji, Toji's full attention was on Shinji too.

Shinji seemed to consider it for a minute. "Sorry guys. I don't think that you would like to learn the way I did. Piccolo was a tough trainer."

"How were you trained?" Surprisingly this question came from Asuka. "You didn't tell us much about it last night."

"Well, when I was learning to fly Piccolo had a simple method to ensure that I mastered it as soon as possible. He threw me off a cliff."

Thinking it was a joke his friends burst into laughter. After about a minute they noticed neither Shinji nor Piccolo was laughing with them.

"You're not kidding, are you?" Once again this came from Asuka.

"No. He really did throw me off a cliff."

Hikari was the next to speak. "That's horrible. How could he do that to you?"

Shinji was touched by her concern. "It was after a few weeks of training so he knew that it wouldn't kill me. Still hurt like hell though."

Shinji finally let out a laugh. "At least I picked it up fast. I'd hate to know what he would have done if I was a slow learner."

Piccolo answered with a smirk. "I would have taken you one mile up and dropped you."

While everyone was shocked and repulsed at what Piccolo would have done, Shinji was still smiling. "Yeah I figured it would be something like that." Noticing the looks of disgust on his friends faces Shinji decided to defend Piccolo. "Look guys, Piccolo may seem harsh in his training methods but he would never, I repeat, never do anything that would kill a student of his. The training had to be that harsh. I only had three years to increase my strength. If Piccolo hadn't been that harsh I would have asked him to stop being so soft on me."

Shinji's friends regarded Piccolo in a new light with this new information. Hikari spoke up again. "I'm sorry for doubting you Mr. Piccolo."

Piccolo merely shrugged her off. "You didn't do anything that deserves an apology. You were merely concerned for your friend."

Suddenly the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. "Come on Asuka, Kensuke, Toji. Class is starting." Hikari had dropped back into Class rep mode.

As they were being dragged away Kensuke and Toji promised to see Shinji later. After they were gone Piccolo looked to Shinji. "Another spar, kid?"

"Sure. But we better take it easy this time, we don't have an endless supply of senzu beans."

"You got it kid."

X

Meanwhile far away from earth a different conversation was taking place. In a dark room the warrior Kole knelt before a large throne that was shrouded in shadow. A figure was seated there. All that could be clearly seen of it was a white skinned, long fingered hand. Kole was telling of his defeat at the hands of the earth boy.

"And than he told me to leave, my lord." Kole had finished his story.

A sound like a long breath was heard from the shadows. "And this boy said that he was only using a tenth of his power?" The mysterious figure asked.

Kole nodded eagerly. "Yes my loed, but I believe he was bluffing. Just give me one more chance and I can beat him."

A low chuckle was heard. The metal walls of the room made it echo so it seemed to be coming from everywhere. "You have failed me Kole. I have no more use for you. If you lost once then you will lose again. Goodbye." The white hand lifted until the palm was pointed at Kole. Suddenly if fired a ball of red ki that streaked at Kole. He tried to protect himself with his arms but it was no use. The blast hit and Kole was vaporized, not a trace of him remained.

The hand pressed a button on the armrest of the throne. "Send another fighter to earth, a stronger one this time." A voice came from the speaker next to the button. "At once my lord."

"Taking this planet may be more enjoyable than I first thought." Another low chuckle reverberated around the chamber as the button was released. "Much more enjoyable."

XXX

Well that was the second chapter of my story. Thanks to all the people who reviewed the first chapter and convinced me to continue this story. Keep reviewing and send me your comments, complaints or suggestions for the story.


	3. Invader From Space

**The Potential of Shinji Ikari**

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or Neon Genesis Evangelion and I make no money from this.

Chapter 3: Invader from Space

The monoliths of the SEELE council seemed to surround Gendo Ikari as he gave his report on the 'changes' observed in his son. Allegations flew thick and fast as the council believed that this was another of Gendo's schemes to wrest control of the human instrumentality project them. It was taking all of Gendo's abilities to convince them otherwise.

"I can supply you with the data that doctor Akagi has given me. It is incontrovertible. The third child has apparently 'evolved'"

"Be careful what you say Ikari. The instrumentality project is based on the fact that mankind has reached the end of its evolutionary progression. If mankind can evolve farther on its present evolutionary path then our plans are useless!"

Gendo smirked as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I am merely supplying the data that we have collected. It is your job to draw the necessary conclusions."

"Remember Ikari, if we fall you will fall with us."

"I understand." The monoliths vanished and Fuyutski stepped from the shadows beside Gendo.

"What do you think that they will do?"

"They will probably try to eliminate the anomaly. After all if the evidence is removed they can still justify their plans by passing this off as a mistake."

"Did you give them the data on his combat abilities?"

Gendo chuckled at this question. "No, it should be interesting to see what will happen when they make their move. Don't you agree Fuyutski?"

'You are an evil man Ikari,' the professor thought with a smirk on his face

X

Meanwhile the person in question, Shinji Ikari, was lounging in a tree on the school grounds when a pebble hit him in the side of the head. He lost his balance and fell from the tree. He hit the ground with a thump and looked up at the cause of his misfortune. Asuka Langley Soryu stood proudly in front of Shinji with a large smile on her face.

"What the hell was that for?" Shinji snapped at the redhead.

She smiled down at him. "That was for being lazy."

"Lets see you fight Gohan at five in the morning and then go the rest of the day without a nap."

"Aw, what happened to the 'strong warrior'?"

"I'll show you where he is if you don't stop annoying me Asuka!"

Although Asuka would never admit it she enjoyed the new Shinji. Before when they argued Shinji would apologize and get all red faced but now he would actually answer back. It was a refreshing change. While they argued their friends joined them. "Looks like they're at it again," Hikari stated with a sigh of exasperation.

Meanwhile, Toji looked satisfied. "Since Shinji came back he's standing up for himself more. It's a good thing in my opinion."

At the same time Kensuke was getting all of the action on film. "My sentiments exactly. He doesn't seem as fragile anymore, and he gives as good as he gets."

Even in the midst of her argument Asuka noticed that they were siding with Shinji. "Shut up you stooges! You should be honored that I let you spend time with me."

"Some honor." Toji muttered under his breath.

While they argued they had left the school grounds and began to walk to their respective homes. After about ten minutes they confronted by four men in black suits. Almost immediately Shinji became wary. The chances of four men in black suits waiting on the same route that the children walked home on were astronomical. After all Tokyo-3 was a big city and Shinji rarely believed in coincidence anymore.

He unconsciously assumed a ready stance. He wasn't overly aggressive but prepared to defend himself if needed. Suddenly one of the men spoke. "Are you Shinji Ikari?"

Shinji smirked before replying. "It depends on who's asking." Each of the men moved their hands under their coats. "Come with us."

Shinji's smirk grew and he assumed a combat stance. "If I refuse?" Now it was the suits turn to smirk. "I don't think you'll refuse."

With his words, Shinji heard the sound of guns cocking behind him. He turned and immediately cursed himself. While his senses had been focused on the men in front of him he failed to notice a second group that was sneaking up behind them. Each one of his friends had an arm across their throat and a gun pressed to their temple. Their faces were a curious mix. Asuka was predictably livid, furious that someone had the gall to threaten her. She was stopped from assaulting the man by the cold steel pressed to her head. Toji was trying to be strong, more to reassure the class rep than himself. Shinji saw the worry in his eyes however. Hikari was frightened. The look of fear on her face told Shinji all he needed to know. Kensuke's fear seemed to be deflected by the presence of the guns themselves. He turned his head to try and get a better look before the arm around his throat tightened and he stopped moving.

Shinji turned back to the first group. "Taking hostages is a cowardly action."

"Think of it as insurance. We have heard that your combat ability is considerable. This is necessary."

Shinji let out a low chuckle. "Then you won't mind if I do this." He seemed to wink out of existence for a second. When he reappeared the men in front of him were shocked. The hostage takers were slumped on the ground unconscious, their precious guns lying beside them. The look on the faces of the men in front of him was satisfying to say the least. A look that mixed fear and awe. They were outmatched, and they knew it too. They began to edge away. Shinji phased out again. When he reappeared the three men around the leader were unconscious.

The leader saw his fallen comrades and drew his own pistol and fired. Hikari screamed as the shot rang out and everyone looked away. When they looked back they expected to see Shinji with a hole in his chest and his lifeblood flowing onto the ground. The sight surprised them to say the least. Shinji had one arm stretched in front of him with a clenched fist. He slowly opened his fist. In the palm of his hand was the bullet that was just fired. He let it drop to the ground. "Tell whoever you work for that my friends and I are off limits to them, understand?" The remaining suit nodded his reply. Shinji phased out and reappeared behind him. With one swift blow the suit was out cold and slumped to the ground just like his comrades.

Shinji turned to his friends. Once again they stood in awe of the being that Shinji had become.

"Can you guys get home by your selves? I have someone to visit."

The others had barely nodded their heads when Shinji took to the sky.

X

Misato was bored. Nothing major had happened since Shinji's 'return' and, although she hated to admit it, she was almost eager for an angel to attack.

"Major Katsuragi. You might want to see this."

Misato got up from her seat and walked to Hyuga's station.

"So what is it?"

He hit a few controls on his console. "One of our high orbit radar satellites just picked up an object closing in from space."

"Is it an angel?"

"Unconfirmed, although it looks too small to be an angel. My readings show that its just two meters in diameter."

The door to the bridge elevator hissed open. Ritsuko and Gohan emerged from the open elevator and walked toward Misato who was leaning over Makoto's console.

"What's going on Misato?" Misato glanced at the blond scientist before turning her gaze back to the screen on Makoto's console.

"Our high orbit radar satellite picked up coming in from space. We're trying to find out if it's an angel. It seems too small but we're not taking any chances."

Makoto's fingers danced over his keyboard. "Major, its coming close to Echo-7. We can get a visual."

"Put it on screen."

As the image appeared on the main screen Gohan let out a gasp. "That's…that's a space pod."

Ritsuko turned to the young demi-saiyan. "A space pod?"

Gohan nodded. "It's a small one person space craft. Back in my dimension it was used mostly by people who worked for a changeling called Frieza. He was in the planet trade. He'd send some soldiers to a planet to eradicate its inhabitants, then he'd sell it to the highest bidder."

"Is he still alive?" Misato was looking a little fearful after Gohan's description of this Frieza.

Gohan smiled. "No. My father took care of him a long time ago. He defeated him on the planet Namek and left him broken. He wasn't killed until three years later though. He came to earth and was killed by another saiyan called Trunks. He's been dead for a long time."

"So who do you think is in that then?"

"I don't know but I don't think whoever it is came to chat. I better go warn Shinji, if he doesn't know already."

Gohan sprinted for the elevator and hit the button for the exit. After the door closed Misato turned to Ritsuko. "What have we gotten ourselves into Ritsuko?"

The blond doctor regarded her friend gravely. "Whatever it is, it's far beyond us. We just have to hope that Shinji is capable of dealing with it."

"Why do we have to use kids to fight for us?"

"In this case we have no choice. Unless you want to take it on? Shinji's had the training and he seems eager to do it, unlike his time as a pilot."

"I know, it just doesn't seem fair."

"No body said life was Misato."

Suddenly a voice boomed over the bridge. "Find the third child using the surveillance cameras. Any combat will center on him. I want a record of it."

Both women whirled around. Unknown to the both of them Commander Ikari had arrived on the bridge and had heard them. The techs scrambled to comply with his orders. The commander linked his hands together in front of his face. "Show me your new found power my son. Show me how much you have changed."

X

Shinji flew over the city, heading towards the nearest entrance to the geofront. He needed to have a 'talk' with his father. He was only back for a few days and his father was already trying to manipulate his life again. 'I wont let him get away with this. This time I am the one who is in the superior position. I wont let him push me around anymore.'

As Shinji landed he was surprised to see the gate to the geofront open. He was even more surprised when he saw the person who emerged. It was Rei Ayanami, dressed in her standard school uniform. The only reaction that she gave to his presence was a blink.

"Uh… Hi Rei."

She continued to regard Shinji levelly. "Good afternoon pilot Ikari."

Shinji let out a small chuckle. "I'm not a pilot anymore Rei."

She looked confused for a brief moment. "Then what should I refer to you as."

"My name is Shinji, Rei. Just call me Shinji."

"Very well, Shinji." Shinji let out a small smile. He was about to reply when the gate to the geofront opened again. Gohan came running out and immediately ran to Shinji.

"Shinji we got a problem." Gohan skidded to a stop in front of Shinji and Rei. "NERV just spotted an object coming in from deep space. It's a space pod."

Shinji immediately tensed up. He knew what space pods were from Gohan's stories. When they appeared it usually meant trouble for whatever planet they landed on. He looked toward the sky. Already the pod was entering the atmosphere leaving a long fiery trail behind it.

"Gohan get Rei out of here and get Misato to order an evacuation. I'm going to go and check it out when it lands." Gohan nodded and grabbed Reis arm.

"Come with me miss Ayanami. This isn't going to be the safest place once the fight starts." He began to lead her back into the geofront while Shinji took to the air. Judging by the angle of the pod it was going to land in the center of town. He began to fly in that direction. A few minutes later the angel attack siren sounded. Shinji could see people leaving the buildings and heading for the shelters. Silently Shinji reaffirmed his vows to protect the people of this world.

Less than five minutes later the pod landed. It left a large crater in the road. Slowly the pod began to open and a large figure climbed out. While Kole was obviously an alien, this guy could pass himself off as a human. He was about the right height and had the skin tone of a European. The only difference Shinji could spot was his eyes. Instead of a pupil and iris there was a black, cat-like vertical slit. He finished climbing out and looked around. To Shinji's surprise he pulled a scouter from his belt. Either this guy couldn't sense ki or he was just being lazy. If it was the former then it gave Shinji a huge advantage.

The alien proceeded to turn in a full circle, scanning all around him for power sources. Finally his gaze settled on Shinji. "You seem to be the strongest thing in this city. Tell me, are you the one who beat Kole?"

Shinji smirked and nodded.

"I see. You are the one I must beat." He assumed a fighting stance.

Shinji quickly followed suit. "At least tell me your name before we begin."

The large man nodded. "My name is Arik. I am your destruction."

"I seem to remember Kole spouting the same nonsense before I beat him."

Arik laughed. "You'll find that I am far different from Kole, boy."

With that, the fight was on.

X

Back in the geofront the fight was being recorded and displayed on the main monitor on the bridge. Everyone present was glued to the screen. Shinji was incredible, he was matching this guy blow for blow. Suddenly the elevator opened and Gohan and Rei got off. They immediately proceeded to Misato's side and watched the match on the screen. Less then five minutes later, the elevator opened again and Asuka got off.

The silence was overwhelming. On the monitor Shinji and Arik were trading blows in the now almost empty city. However every once in while the combatants would speed up and become invisible to normal human eyes. When this happened it was up to Gohan to provide the commentary. Suddenly Shinji connected with a punch that drove Arik into the ground. Within a second Arik was up and went on the offensive again.

Misato looked really worried. "Gohan, can Shinji beat this guy? He seems to be a lot stronger than Kole was."

Gohan's eyes never left the monitor. "This guy is strong but Shinji is stronger. He may have to take it to the next level though."

"The next level?" Everyone was looking at Gohan expectantly.

"Wait and see."

X

Out in the city the fight raged. While both fighters seemed to be evenly matched, Arik was slowly gaining an advantage. Shinji was having difficulty shrugging off Arik's hits. After a particularly hard hit both fighters backed off and landed on the ground. Arik wore a superior smirk that would have made Vegeta proud.

"You seem to be having trouble boy. Do you wish to give up?"

"Never!"

Arik spread his arms. "Come now boy. You see that you are no match for me. Why not give up and save yourself some pain."

This time Shinji was the one wearing the smirk. "I will admit that you are tougher than I first thought, but I'm not out of options yet. You haven't seen my full power yet."

Arik merely shrugged and drew out his scouter again. "Have it your way. Show me your 'full' power." He placed the scouter over his left ear and waited.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Shinji spread his feet and prepared to transform. Suddenly a gale picked up around Shinji. He let out a yell and begun to power up. Arik's scouter blinked and displayed a revised power level for Shinji. Arik was stunned. It was going up so fast.

"How…how are you doing this?"

"This is the power of the Kaioken." Suddenly Shinji's aura changed to red and his hair quickly followed suit. Arik's scouter exploded. Now the alien looked scared. Once the transformation was completed the old Shinji was gone and in his place was this red-eyed fighting machine.

Shinji assumed his fighting stance again. "Shall we continue?"

X

In the command center everyone was in awe. The new Shinji on the monitor was an incredible figure. With his crimson aura and hair he looked like a demon come from hell to annihilate his opponent. Gohan looked pleased, everyone else looked slightly scared.

"Gohan, is that really Shinji?" The question came from Misato.

"Yup, that's Shinji all right. This is his true power. A transformation called the Kaioken. Shinji is the first person in several millennia to master its true form. Now Arik doesn't a chance."

Misato looked back to the monitor. "I hope your right."

X

Arik wasn't cocky anymore. In fact he downright scared by the warrior in front of him. He caused the scouter to explode. He radiated power and confidence. Any advantage Arik may have had just melted away.

Suddenly the demon seemed to flicker for a moment. The next thing Arik knew a fist was planted in his face. He was thrown backward into an evacuated shop that promptly collapsed on him. As he pulled himself from the rubble, Shinji slowly walked toward him. Arik struggled to his feet.

Shinji stopped in front of him. "Do you wish to stop? I clearly outclass you now and you know it."

Arik didn't reply he merely assumed a fighting stance.

Shinji shrugged. "Fine have it your way."

The crimson aura surrounded Shinji again. Both combatants surged forward and the battle resumed. After a few minutes it was clear that Arik was outmatched in every area. Soon Arik was barely standing.

"This fight is over Arik. You can't fight anymore. I'll give you one chance to leave. Go now before I change my mind." Shinji turned and started to walk away. Arik was torn between two emotions. Relief, that Shinji had let him live, and fear, fears that he would suffer the same fate as Kole. He struggled to his feet once again and gathered his remaining power. Shinji felt this and turned again.

"What are you doing Arik."

Arik did not respond. He focused all of his power into one last attack. "I cannot lose. Do you hear me boy. I will not lose to the likes of you. For me failure is just as bad as death itself. My master doesn't look kindly on failure. TAKE THIS!"

Arik fired the beam. The deadly light streaked towards Shinji but the young warrior didn't even flinch. He merely raised his hands and caught the beam. "Arik, you are a fool!"

Shinji deflected the beam and it headed right back to its owner. Arik had no time to react as the beam hit his chest and continued through it until it hit a nearby building and exploded. The alien warrior covered the gaping wound in his chest with his hands and fell to his knees. Shinji let his transformation fade and moved quickly to the larger mans side.

"I gave you a chance to live. Why?" Shinji wasn't angry, just confused.

Arik drew in a shuddering breath. "Failure is not an option. If I had returned as a failure I would have suffered the same fate as Kole. After you let him live our master killed him. I would rather die as a warrior on the battlefield than begging at my masters feet."

"Who is your master?"

"His power is incredible, even your strength doesn't even begin to compare to his might. My master's name is lord Burna…"

With those last words the alien warrior named Arik died.

X

Several hours after the defeat of Arik everyone was gathered in one of NERV's briefing rooms. On the rooms screen was displayed a picture of Arik's space pod. Ritsuko was in the middle of a technical dissertation on the machine. Finally she stopped extolling the virtues of the ship and what it would do to improve the Earths space program.

"In the pod itself we found the last transmission that the pod received. It may give some clues to why Arik decided to fight to the death."

Ritsuko sat down and hit a button on the conference table. The view on the screen was replaced by a headshot of a blue skinned alien that looked a lot like Kole.

Arik, lord Burna has a new mission for you. You are to proceed to a planet called earth in this system." The screen split and the other half showed a star chart with an arrow pointing toward earth.

Arik's voice could then be heard. "Is it a purging mission?"

"Partly. The main mission is an assassination mission. There is a fighter powerful fighter on this planet that was strong enough to defeat Kole. In his report Kole stated that the fighter was, apparently, only using only a tenth of his true power. Personally I think that was a load of crap but our lord is not taking any chances. Go to this planet and kill this fighter."

"Should be an easy job. Kole was always a weakling."

The face on the screen smirked. "As an additional incentive our master has decreed that you watch this recording."

Suddenly the scene changed. On the screen was Kole, kneeling before a large throne cloaked in shadow. A voice could be heard coming from the shadows. "You have failed me Kole. I have no more use for you. If you lost once then you will lose again. Goodbye." Suddenly a red ki blast streaked towards Kole. The blue warrior never stood a chance. Within a second he was no more. The scene again switched to the original speaker.

"That's what happened to the last failure. Make sure you succeed or don't come back at all." The transmission abruptly ended.

Again Ritsuko stood up. Thanks to the light from that blast we were able to get a good view of what was sitting in that chair. Here is the enhanced view." She again hit a button and the screen displayed a picture of…

"Frieza!" Gohan had jumped out of his seat in shock. Even Piccolo was a looking a little shaken at the creature on the screen. It did indeed look like Frieza in his third form except where Frieza had purple highlights this one had red. Piccolo took a closer look at him.

"No not Frieza but its definitely part of the same species."

Misato raised her hand. "Isn't Frieza the one your father defeated on Namek?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. He was in the planet trade big time. I guess there are some constants no matter which dimension you're in."

Piccolo gestured to the screen. "He looks like he's in his third form. If that's as far as he can go then this should be easy enough but if he's managed to find a way to go beyond that then there could be a problem. There is a huge power boost between stages."

Asuka was the next to raise her hand. "But you guys can take him, right?"

Gohan frowned. "Maybe. If the changelings in this dimension are comparable to the ones in our dimension then maybe there won't be a problem. But they could be stronger or weaker. It could go either way."

Shinji cleared his throat. "Either way we have to be prepared. Another attack could come at any time."

Sub-Commander Fuyutski stood next. "We have placed all the high orbit radar satellites on alert. Should another pod come into range we will know about it immediately. The only concern is how long it will take the enemy to discover that their latest attempt has failed."

Shinji shook his head. "I didn't see Arik activate anything that could be a communications device. The scouter may have been transmitting but it would have cut off after I powered up. They'll probably wait some time before sending another probe."

Gohan nodded in agreement. "So we just have to be ready when it comes."

X

That's it for this chapter and we now know the name of the enemy. I need some advice. Do you think I should include the rest of the angel attacks or just cut them out all together? Put your suggestions in a review and let me know.


End file.
